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A Call to Arms: Saving the Original Cast
Alpha-1
Elite RangerGermany
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Joseph DeMartino [/i]
[B][b]A Call to Arms[/b]
Some of you may have heard the recent rumors about the upcoming [b]B5[/b] feature film, “The Memory of Shadow” – how the money people are talking about recasting many of the roles from the original series with “name” actors,
I am here to tell you that this rumor is [i]true[/i] and that unless the powers that be are convinced that tinkering with the cast will hurt them in the pocketbook, they will do what they want to do, without regard to JMS’s wish or ours. The only people in a position to [i]convince[/i] them that there’s money on the line are US.
[i]WE[/i] are the ones who watched the show in great enough numbers to keep it on the air for 5 years. [i]WE[/i] are the ones who made the reruns and [b]B5[/b] S5 such a success on TNT that they spent millions of dollars on two extra TV movies and a half season of [b]Crusade[/b] before they pulled the plug on that show for reasons of network politics as much as anything else. [i]WE[/i] are the ones who lobbied and wheedled and threatened until a very skeptical Warner Bros. [i]finally[/i] released the series, the movies and ultimately [b]Crusade[/b] on DVD – and then bought the DVDs in such numbers that the studio decided to make this feature film in the first place.
[i]WE[/i] are the ones who will provide the all-important opening weekend opening box office and the initial word-of-mouth. It is perfectly true that a feature film like this can’t succeed if only the hardcore fans go to see it. It will have to attract non-fans, folks who have never even [i]heard[/i] of the series. But if [i]WE[/i] don’t make sure the film “opens” it won’t stay in theaters long enough for non-fans to discover the film. If [i]WE[/i] don’t provide the positive word-of-mouth the film won’t succeed.
I’ve heard that some fans don’t believe the rumor, that recasting the roles seems so obviously stupid and counter-productive that they don’t think Warner Bros. would ever do such a thing. I was skeptical myself when I first plugged into the ‘net after an absence of several month (hurricanes are [i]such[/i] a bother) But I’ve since checked with a few individuals whom I trust implicitly and who are in a position to know about such things. They assure me the rumors are true. The studio is pressing for this, and since they write the checks, there isn’t a lot the production office can do about it.
I’ve also heard that other fans are so upset about the reported story line or indications that a given actor or character may not be in the film that they’re not interested in the project at all. Big mistake. Some have even suggested that the story line and the cast changes are part and parcel of the same thing – that the studio dictated a story that prominently featured new characters and reduced the old ones to cameos that could be cast with “name” actors as part of some deep, dark plot to remake [b]B5[/b] in some new image of their choosing.
[i]Wrong[/i]
I don’t know the story line for the new film. But I DO know that it is the story that JMS chose to pitch to the studio for the first [b]B5[/b] film.
Did I just say [i]“First[/i] [b]B5[/b] film”?
Yes, I did.
Everybody wants this film to succeed. If it succeeds, WB will want a sequel, the studios always do. If they do a sequel JMS can do a story that uses the original characters more. Everybody signing up to do the sequel to a successful movie will get a bigger payday than they did on the first. Maybe it makes more sense to do something that ties up some of the threads from [b]Crusade[/b] and [b]Rangers[/b] in movie #1, with the original cast in supporting roles. Then do the Teep War or some other story in movie #2. But this only works if the original [i]cast[/i] plays the original characters in movie #1.
And that’s where you all come in. We need you to write letters – real, snail-mail, [i]printed[/i] and hand-signed letters, to get the attention of the folks holding the purse strings. We need to remind them that ultimately we, too, hold the purse strings. We buy the tickets at the box office.
An ad hoc committee of fans has been working on ways to get the studio’s attention, including press releases and getting stories into the mainstream press. You can help by participating in a letter writing campaign with a bit of a gimmick to help it stand out from similar campaigns. Go to [url]http://www.keepb5alive.com.[/url] Download one of the “[b]B5[/b] Bucks” designs on the site. Print them out, cut them out, and include them with your letter. We’ve also provided form letters that you can hand-write your own address and comments on, but I have to tell you – the studios pay a lot more attention to individuals who took the time to compose a letter of their own than those who merely signed a form letter that somebody else wrote. Just don’t forget to include the “ [b]B5[/b] Bucks” whichever you do.
This may seem like a silly gimmick. So were the Budweiser frogs. Silly gimmicks are memorable, they get attention. They [i]WORK[/i]. So can this if Warner Bros. gets socked with [i]thousands[/i] and [i]thousands[/i] of letters containing these novelty items. And that’s the key – make them realize that this isn’t an issue that concerns only a few fanatical fans of particular actors but something the vast majority of the fan community cares [i]deeply[/i] about and that we will have to consider whether or not the [b]B5[/b] movie WB eventually puts in theaters is [i]really[/i] [b]B5[/b] or some pale imitation that we, as loyal fans, can and will rightly ignore. Go to the site, download the materials, join the fight. The casting decisions are being made [i]right now[/i] The countdown to the start of shooting has begun. The window during which we can make our voices heard is closing, but it [i]hasn’t closed yet[/i]. Don’t let it close until you’ve added your voice to the chorus.
Print out a letter, preferably one you’ve written yourself, today. Sign it, add a hand-written note and your address if necessary. Print out an envelope, stuff it, with some [b]B5[/b] Bucks, seal it, put it on the counter with your car keys. Make sure you mail it [i]tomorrow[/i].
We’ve been here before folks. Our backs against the wall, no chance in hell of getting what we want. We’ve been here every single season, we were here at the end of S4 most of all. We were here trying to get the show released on some form of home video and ultimately on DVD. We were here trying to get a feature film off the ground [i]at all[/i]. We’ve always tried to do the impossible and we’ve always been told that we never could. (One SF entertainment news web site won’t run a story on this controversy because they haven’t seen an official announcement of the film from WB and they don’t believe that anybody is ever going to make a feature film based on a “little” cult show like [b]B5[/b])
We’ve [i]always[/i] succeeded in the long run.
Faith manages.
Start writing.
Joe [/B][/QUOTE]
source: [URL=http://jmsnews.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=670]JMSnews.net[/URL]
[B][b]A Call to Arms[/b]
Some of you may have heard the recent rumors about the upcoming [b]B5[/b] feature film, “The Memory of Shadow” – how the money people are talking about recasting many of the roles from the original series with “name” actors,
I am here to tell you that this rumor is [i]true[/i] and that unless the powers that be are convinced that tinkering with the cast will hurt them in the pocketbook, they will do what they want to do, without regard to JMS’s wish or ours. The only people in a position to [i]convince[/i] them that there’s money on the line are US.
[i]WE[/i] are the ones who watched the show in great enough numbers to keep it on the air for 5 years. [i]WE[/i] are the ones who made the reruns and [b]B5[/b] S5 such a success on TNT that they spent millions of dollars on two extra TV movies and a half season of [b]Crusade[/b] before they pulled the plug on that show for reasons of network politics as much as anything else. [i]WE[/i] are the ones who lobbied and wheedled and threatened until a very skeptical Warner Bros. [i]finally[/i] released the series, the movies and ultimately [b]Crusade[/b] on DVD – and then bought the DVDs in such numbers that the studio decided to make this feature film in the first place.
[i]WE[/i] are the ones who will provide the all-important opening weekend opening box office and the initial word-of-mouth. It is perfectly true that a feature film like this can’t succeed if only the hardcore fans go to see it. It will have to attract non-fans, folks who have never even [i]heard[/i] of the series. But if [i]WE[/i] don’t make sure the film “opens” it won’t stay in theaters long enough for non-fans to discover the film. If [i]WE[/i] don’t provide the positive word-of-mouth the film won’t succeed.
I’ve heard that some fans don’t believe the rumor, that recasting the roles seems so obviously stupid and counter-productive that they don’t think Warner Bros. would ever do such a thing. I was skeptical myself when I first plugged into the ‘net after an absence of several month (hurricanes are [i]such[/i] a bother) But I’ve since checked with a few individuals whom I trust implicitly and who are in a position to know about such things. They assure me the rumors are true. The studio is pressing for this, and since they write the checks, there isn’t a lot the production office can do about it.
I’ve also heard that other fans are so upset about the reported story line or indications that a given actor or character may not be in the film that they’re not interested in the project at all. Big mistake. Some have even suggested that the story line and the cast changes are part and parcel of the same thing – that the studio dictated a story that prominently featured new characters and reduced the old ones to cameos that could be cast with “name” actors as part of some deep, dark plot to remake [b]B5[/b] in some new image of their choosing.
[i]Wrong[/i]
I don’t know the story line for the new film. But I DO know that it is the story that JMS chose to pitch to the studio for the first [b]B5[/b] film.
Did I just say [i]“First[/i] [b]B5[/b] film”?
Yes, I did.
Everybody wants this film to succeed. If it succeeds, WB will want a sequel, the studios always do. If they do a sequel JMS can do a story that uses the original characters more. Everybody signing up to do the sequel to a successful movie will get a bigger payday than they did on the first. Maybe it makes more sense to do something that ties up some of the threads from [b]Crusade[/b] and [b]Rangers[/b] in movie #1, with the original cast in supporting roles. Then do the Teep War or some other story in movie #2. But this only works if the original [i]cast[/i] plays the original characters in movie #1.
And that’s where you all come in. We need you to write letters – real, snail-mail, [i]printed[/i] and hand-signed letters, to get the attention of the folks holding the purse strings. We need to remind them that ultimately we, too, hold the purse strings. We buy the tickets at the box office.
An ad hoc committee of fans has been working on ways to get the studio’s attention, including press releases and getting stories into the mainstream press. You can help by participating in a letter writing campaign with a bit of a gimmick to help it stand out from similar campaigns. Go to [url]http://www.keepb5alive.com.[/url] Download one of the “[b]B5[/b] Bucks” designs on the site. Print them out, cut them out, and include them with your letter. We’ve also provided form letters that you can hand-write your own address and comments on, but I have to tell you – the studios pay a lot more attention to individuals who took the time to compose a letter of their own than those who merely signed a form letter that somebody else wrote. Just don’t forget to include the “ [b]B5[/b] Bucks” whichever you do.
This may seem like a silly gimmick. So were the Budweiser frogs. Silly gimmicks are memorable, they get attention. They [i]WORK[/i]. So can this if Warner Bros. gets socked with [i]thousands[/i] and [i]thousands[/i] of letters containing these novelty items. And that’s the key – make them realize that this isn’t an issue that concerns only a few fanatical fans of particular actors but something the vast majority of the fan community cares [i]deeply[/i] about and that we will have to consider whether or not the [b]B5[/b] movie WB eventually puts in theaters is [i]really[/i] [b]B5[/b] or some pale imitation that we, as loyal fans, can and will rightly ignore. Go to the site, download the materials, join the fight. The casting decisions are being made [i]right now[/i] The countdown to the start of shooting has begun. The window during which we can make our voices heard is closing, but it [i]hasn’t closed yet[/i]. Don’t let it close until you’ve added your voice to the chorus.
Print out a letter, preferably one you’ve written yourself, today. Sign it, add a hand-written note and your address if necessary. Print out an envelope, stuff it, with some [b]B5[/b] Bucks, seal it, put it on the counter with your car keys. Make sure you mail it [i]tomorrow[/i].
We’ve been here before folks. Our backs against the wall, no chance in hell of getting what we want. We’ve been here every single season, we were here at the end of S4 most of all. We were here trying to get the show released on some form of home video and ultimately on DVD. We were here trying to get a feature film off the ground [i]at all[/i]. We’ve always tried to do the impossible and we’ve always been told that we never could. (One SF entertainment news web site won’t run a story on this controversy because they haven’t seen an official announcement of the film from WB and they don’t believe that anybody is ever going to make a feature film based on a “little” cult show like [b]B5[/b])
We’ve [i]always[/i] succeeded in the long run.
Faith manages.
Start writing.
Joe [/B][/QUOTE]
source: [URL=http://jmsnews.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=670]JMSnews.net[/URL]
Comments
very confused.
A letter that will basically thank them for doing a movie, and where i'll mention how much i'm looking forward to seeing the characters and actors that got me hooked on the TV Series on the Silver Screen, and that I have the utmost confidence in JMS to produce a great and successful movie, as they should allready know from the DVD-Box sales...
I can only recommend to every B5 fan to do the same.
[B]I guess i still don't understand, all the casting descriptoins that we've seen say that the orig cast isn't being cast.
very confused. [/B][/QUOTE]
On the other hand, didn't that casting description contain only four characters? I mean, we already know that Lochley is going to be in the film, and I don't believe she was on the casting sheet (and if anyone says its because she isn't being recast, I'm gonna hit you. Bear with me). In almost every movie, there is a whole bundle of secondary characters, and I'd bet this one isn't different. I haven't a clue about how things work in Hollywood, but they may be casting the main characters first, and will send out descriptions of other characters later. Which would also cover the minor oddity of a movie set on Babylon 5 not having any aliens play a role in the story.
See, when you have a position in power, like 'the suits', the only thing that matters to you is staying in 'the suit' and keeping the money rolling in that supports your 'suit'. Your life consists of socializing at numerous Hollywood parties, spending many days and nights on your yacht with your second lover, while you spend the other days and nights at the snowy mountain retreat with your first lover. Meanwhile, your wife and 3 kids (whom all go to private school, have many after-school activities and are too busy to remember you're never there) are at your Beverly Hills mansion, living off of the tiny budget you set aside for such things, blissfully unaware of your own 'extra-curricular activities'...
Then comes along some guy who writes that 'Star Trek crap', asking for several million and your blessing to make a 'major motion picture'. After the numerous and ultimately unneccesary meetings you drooled through, daydreaming about your snowbunny, you heave your 300 pound girth to your feet and announce that this 'Star Wars nerd' can indeed have some of the companies millions (note: not YOUR millions) but with one special stipulation. You and your other ridiculously wealthy board members have final say in who is cast in this 2-hour geekathon. You know, because even though Wing Commander sucked so bad it caused it's own black hole, you can take pride in the knowledge that you personally launched the careers of some Hollywoods most famous teen idols. And in Hollywood, lightning always strikes 2 or 3 times, trilogies are all the rage, remakes are dead and YOU are a Warner Brother's Executive. Hell, you have 2 (TWO!) secretaries and they aren't even your lovers...yet. Ah, but there's time for that, right? So, yes, Mister...um, JMS, you can have your money and our promotional steamroller, but WE want Lindsey Lowhan as this 'Lochley' or else...
:rolleyes:
=-Rigs-=
Guess it's time to start churning out those letters.
Arn't all scifi shows generally considered "little" and "cult" by the industry?
Also keep in mind that there are some cast members tyhat simply cannot reprise their roles, because they have passed on...
-R.
[B]... but WE want Lindsey Lowhan as this 'Lochley' or else...
[/B][/QUOTE]
You make that sound like it's a bad thing ;)
-R.
[B]It may surprise people to hear me say this, but I'm not scared of a recast. There are lots of reasons that this might happen, but I think that Battlestar showed that recasting isn't always a bad thing.
Also keep in mind that there are some cast members tyhat simply cannot reprise their roles, because they have passed on...
-R. [/B][/QUOTE]
A recast coming from jms is ok, but if it's forced down from the suits, then i'm against it.
[B]A recast coming from jms is ok, but if it's forced down from the suits, then i'm against it. [/B][/QUOTE]
Well i'd be agaisnt it because of what happened with season 5 & Crusade, with the studio dictating changes to the show.
I'm not saying not to write in or whatever in support of the cast. i just personally still don't see enough real evidence to convince me one way or the other.
Its an awful good way to drum up publicity within the community tho.
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Joseph DeMartino[/i] [B]And that’s the key – make them realize that this isn’t an issue that concerns only a few fanatical fans of particular actors but something the vast majority of the fan community cares deeply about and that we will have to consider whether or not the B5 movie WB eventually puts in theaters is really B5 or some pale imitation that we, as loyal fans, can and will rightly ignore.[/B][/QUOTE]
I was going to say that I trust JMS implicitly not to insult his fans and the casual viewers in general, but there may be limits to what he can do too and then again, he managed to do the show inspite of the so-called "suits."
Using the IMDB as reference, this project will be his first feature film, having done "only" TV shows until now. I just don't see JMS drop the ball on this one.
I have mixed feelings about the cast issue as it really all depends on what the story is going to be about. I wasn't too fond of Crusade and its cast and so if there's some miscasting for this movie the fate of its success is uncertain.
What the plot of the movie probably will have to do is shoehorn all the people that don't know the B5 universe right into the action and tell them what the show was all about without dwelling too long on it. The movie shouldn't just be a two-hour episode with some extravagant SFX. I hope the movie will mirror the formula of Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan, and not Star Trek TMP.
Babylon 5 was never about technology or SFX and again I hope the movie won't be just another ILM tech demo to woo the crowds.
I also hope Chris Franke will get another stab at the musical score. :)
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Stingray [/i]
[B]I hope the movie will mirror the formula of Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan, and not Star Trek TMP.
Babylon 5 was never about technology or SFX and again I hope the movie won't be just another ILM tech demo to woo the crowds.[/B][/QUOTE]
I'd rather hope it doesn't take from *any* established Scifi, but all signs point to a sort of mainstream focus. While I love both of those movies, I wouldn't like to see them made again with a B5 sticker thrown on top of the Star Trek logo, or any other for that matter. Originality and respect for the audience (and it's intelligence) always pays off.
And it'll be Weta, not ILM ;)
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sanfam [/i]
[B]
And it'll be Weta, not ILM ;) [/B][/QUOTE]
I really hope so. I don't want B5 to look like
[URL=http://coolchicken.blogspot.com/2005/01/star-wars-episode-iii-spoiler-pics.html]this [/URL] (Star Wars Ep. III pictures. Spoiler Alert)
I don't like the look of the new Starwars CGI. To colourfull and way to much chaos
[B]It may surprise people to hear me say this, but I'm not scared of a recast. There are lots of reasons that this might happen, but I think that Battlestar showed that recasting isn't always a bad thing.
Also keep in mind that there are some cast members tyhat simply cannot reprise their roles, because they have passed on...
-R. [/B][/QUOTE]
What scares me is that JMS can't or doesn't want to answer people's inquirings by a simple statement like (pick your favourite):
- You always say you want it my style. Then trust me.
or
- At this point in time, it is not wise to make certain people think about the target audience being narrow-minded, be it story-wise or casting-wise.
or
- 'The avalanche has already started. It's too late for the pebbles to vote.'
... or something else that would give us even the smallest hint that things are going into the right direction, even without interference from us.
Saying nothing else than 'I would like to be able to comment on this, but for the time being I am not
able to do so.' makes me simply feel very bad about this. This sounds like a person bound tightly with a thin rope onto a cold and very large mountain with the idea that someone around has a very sharp knife and a very hot temper.
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Sanfam [/i]
[B]
And it'll be Weta, not ILM ;) [/B][/QUOTE]
Hey i was gonna say that!
off on a tangent, hav you ever seen a weta? Ugh, horrid creatures!
[B]It may surprise people to hear me say this, but I'm not scared of a recast. There are lots of reasons that this might happen, but I think that Battlestar showed that recasting isn't always a bad thing.[/quote][/b]
Well, that was a remake, so its not exactly the same thing, is it? Aside from the character names, roles, and the basic premise, the new Galactica is a completely different show from the old one. Unless I've been drastically misinformed, TMoS isn't a reboot of the series, but a continuation of the same story as is. If they were going to, say, remake "The Gathering" with Leonardo de Caprio as Captain John Sinclair, and Paris Hilton as the exotic Vorlon Ambassador Delenn, as they grow their budding romance during a search for the man, woman, or creature who killed and devoured the androgynous Narn Ambassador Londo Mollari (played by Eddie Izzard), almost leading to war between the Federated Alliance of Human Worlds and the mysterious and powerful Narn Republic, then, well, the recasting would be more understandable.
[quote][b]
Also keep in mind that there are some cast members that simply cannot reprise their roles, because they have passed on...
[/B][/QUOTE]
According to [url=http://jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-17143]JMS[/url], Dr. Franklin will not be recast. It's anyones guess what the exact reasons are, but if it even slightly involves the idea that Richard Biggs [b]is[/b] Stephen Franklin, it's likely that the case would be the same for most any character.
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Alpha-1 [/i]
[B]I really hope so. I don't want B5 to look like
[URL=http://coolchicken.blogspot.com/2005/01/star-wars-episode-iii-spoiler-pics.html]this [/URL] (Star Wars Ep. III pictures. Spoiler Alert)
I don't like the look of the new Starwars CGI. To colourfull and way to much chaos [/B][/QUOTE]
I agree that that style wouldn't work for Babylon 5, but I like it in the Star Wars prequels. They're supposed to have more of an old world, embellished, pretty look when compared to the original trilogy. The shot of the battle above Couresant (?), especially, looks damned near painterly. I wouldn't mind hanging it on my wall, in fact.
Babylon 5, though, never really had that Jules-Vern sensibility, so it would probably keep its gritty look when it is translated to the big screen.
I'm not signing anything until I know more details. Mainly what characters are being re-cast. Far as I can tell, we have nothing but speculation and rumors, we don't even know who's being re-cast. It's simply not remotely enough to convince me to sign anything.
[B]I think that Battlestar showed that recasting isn't always a bad thing.[/B][/QUOTE]
Galactica is not simply a re-cast; it's a re-start, as well. It doesn't exist in the same continuity as the original show. While I for one would absolutely welcome the same treatment for B5 (especially if it came from Ronald D. Moore), that's not what the movie is doing. Even changing Peter Woodward is really too much for me, but if the reasons behind it are reasonable, I'm willing to give it a chance. If characters are being recast because studios want bigger names, than I'll probably take the same position a friend of mine takes on the Star Wars prequels: I won't pay any of my own money to see the movie. I'll be happy enough to come along if someone else wants to pay for it, of course....
[B]I see them all the time. [/B][/QUOTE]
Biggles, are they as horrible live as they look online?
blech
All I can say at the moment is that this is all bloody confusing!
[QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Entil'Zha [/i]
[B]Biggles, are they as horrible live as they look online?
blech [/B][/QUOTE]
Depends how close you have to get to them. :) The ones we get in the city tend to be fairly small, only a few cm across.
Well, it's more than a recast, "Starbuck" and "Boomer" are female this time around, not that I mind, but they weren't in the original.
I just hope they don't mess around the formula too much. They'll have to make adjustments for the big screen, but I don't think it's going to be that dramatic.
It's funny how we all get so worried about this movie as if JMS wasn't involved in its making. Just put your faith into the show creator's hands. For crying out loud, it's his "baby!" :)
[B]Oh and without sounding silly who's Joseph DeMartino? Haven't heard of him. [/B][/QUOTE]
I second that post.
[B]It may surprise people to hear me say this, but I'm not scared of a recast. There are lots of reasons that this might happen, but I think that Battlestar showed that recasting isn't always a bad thing.[/B][/QUOTE] Battlestar is also quite a bit older than Babylon 5.
I will [i]not[/i] pay one cent to see a movie without the original cast.
[B]Battlestar is also quite a bit older than Babylon 5.
I will [i]not[/i] pay one cent to see a movie without the original cast. [/B][/QUOTE]
I second both points. Battlestar is ancient in SF terms as far as I'm concerned, and I never liked the original anyway. Battlestar was from a different era and needed modernising for today's audience.
I don't mind if TMOS focuses on other characters, but I don't think it would do the original series justice to recast them. The last thing I want to see is Lochley played by Jeniffer Aniston falling into Sheridan's arms (played by Russel Crow). A bit exaggerated I know, but even with good choices there is no reason to recast the original characters. The actors have proven themselves time and again in my book. We British call this "playing silly buggers".
cx2
Edit: Fixed a typo
Source: [url]http://www.jmsnews.com/msg.aspx?id=1-17289[/url]
(via Slashdot story [url]http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/02/26/1842213&tid=214&tid=97[/url] )
I just got to your site yesterday via "The Home of the Underdogs", then read about the movie project, went to IMDB to confirm it actually exist, and next thing I know, even before I have a chance to get my hopes up, Slashdot brings this one up. Graaah ! Bad, bad WB !!!
Although this is sad, it appears this campaign could had been at best insignificant (as JMS would have never agreed, at least in theory, to a major recasting) or at worst the "drop that filled the glass" for WB (as they would not venture into a big budget movie without big names, and this campaign would have been the alarm signal to the fact that even a big names movie would have failed financially).
Either way, too bad it happened. I really loved Babylon 5. Would have liked it very much if this movie would have been made with the "regular" cast in place.
Well, as JMS said it himself - maybe there will be some more opportunities in the future.